Vacuum regulator



March 4 1924.

J. F. MUSSELMAN VACUUM REGULATOR- Filed Sa nt. l8 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1March 4 1924. 7 1,485,936

J. F. MUSSELMAN VACUUM REGULATOR Filed Sept. 18, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Patented Mar. 4, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH F. MUSSELMAN, OF BRONXVILLE, NEVJ YORK, ASSIGNOR TOANTI-CORROSION ENGINEERING COMPANY, INC., A CORPORATION OF YORK.

VACUUM REGULATOR.

Application filed September 18, 1920. Serial No. 411,259.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OSEPH F. MUSSEL- MAN, citizen of the UnitedStates, and resident of Bronxville, in the county of Westc-hester andState of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inVacuum Regulators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a vacuum regulating device, adapted for manyuses but practically designed for use in connection with apparatus forremoving the free gases from water to be used in boilers, economizers,heating systems, etc., to reduce the corrosive efiects of the water uponthe parts hereof.

The invention has for an object to provide a simple and efficient deviceof novel construction and arrangement whereby the vacuum in a chamber orconduit through which the water passes may be regulated auton'iaticallyso as to maintain a substantially fixed differential between that degreeof vacuum under which the water would boil and the degree of vacuumactually maintained throughout any temperature change in the Waterpassing, within certain predetermined limits.

A further object of the invention is to also provide means forregulating, in a like manner, the vacuum regardless of the rate of flowof the water through said chamber and the corresponding rate at whichthe gases are required to be removed therefrom. It will be understood inthis connection that the increased rate of flow increases the volunie ofwater and, consequently, the amount of gases removed therefrom, whichwould normally tend to reduce the Vacuum in the chamber, the function ofthis feature of the invention being to regulate the vacuum under theseconditions.

A further object of the invention is to provide a single unitary devicein which both of the above regulating means are combined and arranged toco-operate to produce the required regulation of the vacuum under allconditions actually met with in use of such devices.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects andadvantages thereof, reference will be had to the following descriptionand accompanying drawings, and to the-appended claims in which thevarious novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

Fig. 1 of the drawings is a sectional view of a. device constructedaccording to my invention.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic elevation showing an application of theinvention in connection with a water-jet vacuum pump.

Fig. 8 is a similar View to Fig. 2 but showing an application of theinvention in connection with a stream driven vacuum pump.

Fig. 4 is a similar view to Figs. 2 and 3 but showing an application ofthe invention in connection with an electrically driven vacuum pump.

In the embodiments of the invention as herein shown, the water to betreated is passed through a suitable tank 1 and the regulating device isconnected to the water supply pipe leading to said tank and also withthe air space in said tank.

The device as here shown (Fig. 1) coniprises a vertically elongatedchamber or casing 2 having an inlet port 3 on one side near the lowerend thereof and an outlet port at on the opposite side approximatelymidway between its upper'and lower ends. A pipe 5 (Figs. 2-4) connectsto the inlet port 3, and a pipe 6 leads from the outlet port 4 to thetank 1. A discharge pipe 7 leads away from. the tank 1. It will beunderstood, of course, that the pipes 5, 6 and 7 are connected in thedesired circulation system. From the casing 2, at a point above theoutlet port 4, a small pipe 8 leads to the air space in tank 1, a secondsmall pipe 9 leading from this air. space to a suitable vacuum pump, aswill be further set forth.

.VVit-hin this casing 2 are located one or more, (in the presentpreferred embodiment a series of three) expansible' and contractibledevices which are connected to the control means for the vacuum pump towhich pipe 9 leads. These devices, as here shown, each comprise acircumferentially corrugated tube 10, preferably of thin copper,connected at opposite ends to heads 11 and 12 to form a sealed chamber.These devices may be termed expansion cylinders.

In the present instance, I have shown three of the cylinders connectedtogether in tandem in vertical axial alinement and numbered,respectively, 13, 14 and 15. Of these cylinders the two'lower. ones arearranged close together and below the level of the water flowing throughthe casing 2 from inlet 3 to outlet 4, the normal water "level when thedevice isin operation being threaded through the bottom of the casingand may have a nut 17 screwed on its projecting lower end. Similarly,the bottom head of thecylinder 14: has an il'itegral screw 18 on itslower side; which engages in a socket element 19 on the upper head ofthe cylinder 15. The top and bottom heads of the cylinders 13 and 14:are also formed ivithitapped socket elements 20 in which engage oppositeends of a rod 21 which may be'g'uided in a suitable eye formed on theend of a fixed bar 22 projecting inwardly from one side of the casing 2.The top head 11 of the upper cylinder 13 has connected thereto the lowerend of a valve-stem rod 23 which extends upwardly through a cover 24forming the top of the casing 2 and is connected at its upper end to avalve 25' of any well known balanced type, in the application of theinvention shown in Figs. 2 and 3; Instead of employing a stutling boxtoprevent leakage of air past the rod 23, I prefer to employ a similarcorrugated tube section, as indicatediat 26, which surrounds the rod 23and is connected at one end to the cover 24 and at its opposite end tothe rod 23 and expands and contracts as the latter moves. This tubesection 26 is formed at its lower end with an outturned flange 26 whichrests upon a fiat-topped boss 27 on the cover 24: and is clamped tightlythereon by a cap 28 screwed upon said boss. The

upper end of this tube section is soldered or otherwise secured to adisk 29 on the rod. 23, which disk may beheld in place by nuts 30. r Inuse, the lower cylinders 1 1 and 15 are wholly or partially filled witha volatile liquid, such as alcohol, ether, etc, while the topcylinder-'13 is filled with air or some perm'anent gas.

In thejapplication of the invention shown in 2 of the drawing, the valveis placed in-a pipe 32 leading from a supply of water under pressure toa water jet vacuum pump33 of ordinary construction, to wh1ch pump thepipe 9, above referred to,

also connects.

In the application of the invention shown in Fig. 3 the valve 25 isplaced in a steam supply pipe 3& which leads to a steam engine 35coupled to a vacuum pump 36 to which pipe, 9 leads.

1n the application 01 the invention shown in Fig. i the valve 25 isdispensed with,fand the upper end of the rodf23 is connected to thehandle 37 of an electric current supply controller 38 placed in thecircuit, indicated generally at 39, to an electric motor 40 whichoperates a vacuum pump 11. i

The device as here constructed is adapted to operate to regulate thevacuum in tank for variations of temperature of the water and forvariations in the amount or rate of gas given off by the varying amountsof water flowing to or through the tank, acting to decrease the vacuumwhen the temperature of the water increases, and vice versa, andmaintaining the proper vacuum during variations in the amount of gas tobe removed at diiii'erent rates of flow of water; the manner in which itoperates being as tollowsa The expansion cylinders 13, lt and 15 are soconstructed and connected to the valve 25 (or controller 38) as to causethe required vacuum, determined by previous experiment, to be maintainedin the tank 1 for water at a given temperature. If the temperature ofthe water rises the expansion of the volatile liquids in the cylinders14 and 15 will cause the rod 23 to move upward and operate valve25 (orcontroller 38) to slow down the vacuum pump controlled thereby andsodecrease the vacuum in the tank 1, a reverse operation taking place whenthe temperature of the water falls. It the flow of water increases,causing an increase in the volume of gas given ofi, the vacuumnormally-will tend to decrease,rbut decrease of vacuum will cause the'upper cylinder 13 to contract, it being apparent It will be noted thatwhen the cylinders 14 and 15 expand under an increase of temperature anddecrease the vacuum, the lowered vacuum will cause the upper cylinder tocontract in opposition, but it is to be understood that the differentcylinders are so proportioned that a neutralization will not takeplace'and the combined net result of the two movements will produce thedesired change of vacuum for the change of temperature and thusautomatically maintain a predetermined relationship between the same.

It will, of course, be understood that the number of expansion cylindersmay be varied, the two lower cylinders being combined in one, etc., orother changes and modifications made in the invention as hereindisclosed without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with a chamber adapted to have water circulatetherethrough, means for creating a vacuum in said chamber, and aplurality of connected and co-operating means for automaticallyregulating said vacuum creating means according to the volume of gasgiven off by and temperature of the water flowing through said chamberand adapted to maintain a predetermined differential relationshipbetween the temper-- ature of the water and the degree of vacuum in thechamber.

2. In combination with a chamber adapted to have water circulatetherethrough, means for creating a vacuum in said chamber, and means forautomatically regulating said vacuum creating means according to thevolume of gas given ofi by and temperature of the water flowin throughsaid chamber, said means inclu ing a plurality of expansible elementsone of which is immersed in the water and contains a volatile liquid andthe other is located in the vacuum space and contains a permanent gas.

3. In combination with a chamber adapted to have water circulatetherethrough, means for creating a vacuum in said chamber, and means forautomatically regulating said vacuum creating means according to thevolume of gas given ofl by and temperature of the water flowing throughsaid chamber, said means including a plurality of ex-- pansible elementsone of which is immersed in the water and the other is located in thevacuum space, said elements being connected together in tandem tooperate through one another.

4;. A device of the class described comprising a casing having intakeand outlet ports, adapted to have a fluid circulate therethrough, meansfor varying the pressure on said fluid in said casing, an expansioncylinder located in the lower end of said casing with its bottom fixedagainst movement and containing a volatile liquid, a second expansioncylinder located above said first cylinder and having its lower endrigidly connected to the upper end of said first cylinder and containinga permanent gas, and means connecting the upper end of said secondcylinder to a part to be operated, whereby a predetermined relationshipis automatically maintained between the temperature of the fluid and thepressure in said casing.

5. A device of the class described comprising a casing having intake andoutlet ports, adapted to have a fluid circulate therethrough, means forvarying the pressure on said fluid in said casing, the intake port beinglocated near the bottom of the casing and the outlet port at a higherlevel than the intake port, an expansion cylinder located in the lowerend of said chamber with its bottom fixed against movements andcontaining a volatile liquid, a second expansion cylinder located abovesaid first cylinder and outlet port and having its lower end rigidlyconnected to the upper end of said first cylinder and containing apermanent gas, and means connecting the upper end of said secondcylinder to a part to be operated, whereby a predetermined relationshipis automatically maintained between the temperature of the fluid and thepressure in said casing. Y

6. A device of the class described comprising a casing having intake andoutlet ports, adapted to have a fluid circulate therethrough, means forvarying the pressure on said fluid in said casing, an expansion cylinderlocated in the lower end of said casing with its bottom fixed againstmovement and containing a volatile liquid, a second expansion cylinderlocated above said first cylinder and having its lower end rigidlyconnected to the upper end of said first cylinder and containing apermanent gas, said expansion cylinders being made up ofcircumferentially corrugated tubing, and means connecting the saidsecond cylinder to a part to be operated, whereby a predeterminedrelationship is automatically maintained between the temperature of thefluid and the pressure in said casing.

7 A device of the class described comprising a casing having intake andoutlet ports, adapted to have a liquid flow therethrough, the intakeport being located near the bottom of the casing and the outlet port ata higher level than the intake port, and an expansion cylinder locatedin said casin in position to be immersed in the liquid flowingtherethrough and operatively connected to and adapted to control apressure regulating means adapted to regulate the pressure on the liquidin said casing.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of NewYork, this 14 day of September, A. D. 1920.

JOSEPH F. MUSSELMAN.

